Gay Marriage Should Be Legal in All States
analytical Essay
1370 words
The issue of gay marriage needs little introduction as it is one of the most widely contended and discussed topics in the United States of America. While the issue is relatively recent one has to question why this is even an issue to begin with. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. Arguments come from both religious groups, as well as secular focused sources. Reasoning against gay marriage ranges from religious immorality, to the idea that giving gays the right to marry would support minoritarianism (giving minority special privileges and advantages in either a legislative or societal capacity). There are countless arguments besides those mentioned, few of which have any substantial grounds to stand on. Gay marriage causes no political or communal grief, except for those who strongly oppose it now. Even for those people gay people exist either way. Whether they are married or not will not change that and their lives will not be dramatically changed from it. Gay marriage has no valid reason to be outlawed and there are plenty of reasons to allow it.
Gay bashing is the verbal of physical abuse towards someone who is thought to be homosexual. This form of bullying has become strikingly common in the United States and has only increased. While the frequency of hate crimes towards gays (20.8% in 2011) is less than half that of racial biased hate crimes (46.9%) it is still the second most common source for a hate crime in America, among other such as religious or gender bias. That percentage is still an increase from the previous year at 18.6%, meanwhile the overall count of hate crimes decreased. The types of hate crimes ranged from property crimes, intimidation...
... middle of paper ...
... FBI, 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Matthews, Meredith. "Words That Hurt." Current Health Teens 38.5 (2012): 14-17. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Victims." FBI. FBI, 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Bradlaugh. "Secular Right | Reality & Reason." RSS. N.p., 29 Apr. 2009. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Fine Bros. "Kids React to Gay Marriage” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 3 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
"The Fatherless Generation." The Fatherless Generation. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
WANG, Wenjing, and Junjie LI. "Study On Single Parent Family Teenagers' Educational Problems And Social Worker Intervention." Canadian Social Science 8.5 (2012): 121-124. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
Mcpherson, Gareth. "Statistics." United Fathers of California. Cambridge Newspapers, 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that human nature is the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans. children have minimal influences from society and are encountering many ideas and experiences for the first time.
- Argues that the strongest opposition to gay marriage comes from religious groups, who say homosexuality is sinful. the paper's goal is not to argue the right and wrong of religious values, but in a political setting this argument has little validity.
- Explains that many arguments against gay marriage stem from an ideology of what a family and marriage should be.
- Argues that government is not in place to determine the success of a family, or the happiness of the children in that family.
- Explains that gay marriage is one of the most widely contended and discussed topics in the united states of america.
- Describes the 16 states with legal gay marriage and 33 states with same-sex marriage bans.
- Explains the federal bureau of investigation's "annual report released." matthews, meredith. "words that hurt." current health teens 38.5 (2012): 14-17.
- Analyzes bradlaugh's "secular right | reality & reason." rss. n.p., 29 apr. 2009. web. 25 nov. 2013.
- Analyzes wang, wenjing, and junjie li's study on single parent family teenagers' educational problems and social worker intervention. mcpherson, gareth.
Related
- opinionated
- analytical
- explanatory
- Gay Marriage Should be Legalopinionated essayOn June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. Should gay marriages be legal? Clearly we as a nation are undecided on this issue. Thirty-six states have passed legislation banning gay marriages, yet a few states have passed laws that allows homosexual couples the right to participate in civil unions. Several other states are also debating whether or not to allow these couples to marry. Unfortunately, the dispute has left the United States' homosexual community in an awkward position. There are some people who think that gay people have no rights and should never be allowed to marry, and others believe that gay people should enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals. I think that the United States should allow same-sex couples to marry just like heterosexual couples.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the united states should allow same-sex couples to marry just like heterosexual couples.
- Explains that there are many opponents of gay marriage, and they all have their reasons to dislike the idea of permitting them get married.
- Opines that there are some silly arguments that should be discarded immediately. one is that marriage is traditionally a heterosexual institution.
- Argues that marriage, polygamy and all other horrible consequences are absurd to even consider as legitimate arguments from intelligent people. according to the united states constitution, every individual has right to happiness.
- Opines that america is the home of land, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Argues that homosexuals aren't being treated fairly, and gay rights activists have cited over 300 benefits that gay couples are not permitted to enjoy.
- Explains that homosexuals are denied the right to claim the estate of their spouses if there is no will present when one of the partners dies.
- Explains that gays are excluded from group insurance and pension plans offered through their spouse's jobs, and they are not officially recognized by insurance companies.
- Explains that gays do not enjoy the judicial spousal privilege concerning legal matters. since homosexual couples are not officially married, the
- Explains that the plaintiffs claimed their constitutional rights were being denied because the state refused to grant them marriage licenses. the state court ruled against them, citing the link between procreation and marriage.
- Explains that the plaintiffs and the gay community felt that their rights were being infringed on. the vermont supreme court ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to homosexuals.
- Explains that enacted a law permitting civil unions of gay couples to be performed, giving the same privileges to homosexual couples as areafforded their heterosexual counterparts.
- Opines that couples will be looked at differently in other states, whereas if they remained in vermont, things might be easier for them. other states have recently faced problems with bills involving gay marriage.
- Explains that california's "process of marriage" initiative would clarify that only male-femalemarriage is valid in california. new york has also recently passed a bill banninghomosexual civil unions.
- Explains beatrice dohrn's hope that many states will recognize civil unions and establish their own laws, citing the u.s. constitution’s full faith and credit clause.
- Explains that marriage is first and foremost a union between two people who love each other. raising children is not necessarily stipulation of marriage.
- Argues that procreation of the species is invalid because we permit the elderly and the sexually infertile to marry knowing that they will not be able to produce children.
- Opines that allowing homosexual couples to marry and adopt would reduce the number of children who don’t have parents and give them a better chance to make something of themselves having parents.
- Argues that homosexual people should not be allowed because it is theirchoice to be gay. people make different choices every day that maybe some groups of individuals would find wrong or offensive.
- Explains that many people would have religious problems with homosexual couples joining in a civil union. traditional religious views in the united states, such as those held by the roman catholics and protestants, view homosexuality as immoral and sinful
- Explains why we make the distinction between church and state. different religions have different views on issues such as abortion and homosexual marriage.
- Opines that america is not yet truly free, not until we as a nation are free.
2010 wordsRead More - Gay Marriage Must Be Legalanalytical essayLegal marriage is the right of all Americans regardless of their sexual orientation. Gay marriage is certainly a hot button issue. It invokes an emotional dialogue filled with passion, rage, hate and fear. However, at the base of it all, are two people who are in a committed relationship living normal and productive lives and contributing to society in a positive manner. This issue is being debated in every state of the union, and will eventually go to the Supreme Court.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that legal marriage is the right of all americans regardless of their sexual orientation. gay marriage invokes an emotional dialogue filled with passion, rage, hate and fear.
- Explains that gay people want to formalize their relationship and gain some of the legal standing and support that is given to heterosexual couples on a daily basis.
- Explains that colorado voters approved amendment 2 to the state constitution by a narrow margin (54% to 47%). it would have prohibited all legislative, executive, or judicial action at any level of state or local government.
- Explains that the us supreme court overturned colorado’s amendment 2. the majority opinion issued by justice kennedy concluded that homosexuals could obtain civil rights protection under colorado law if enough citizens voted to amend the state constitution.
- Argues that justice andrews' decision to deny gay people the right to marry is unconstitutional in and of itself.
- Argues that gay marriage has been in existence for 20 years in denmark and for a decade in the netherlands, and austria, belgium and spain have all legalized same-sex marriage.
- Analyzes scott bidstrup's article about gay marriage and the fundamental flows in the argument against it.
- Explains that in 1989, the majority of clergy were opposed to legalizing gay marriage in denmark. now, after seeing the benefits to the partners and to society, they are overwhelmingly in favor.
- Compares the traits of heterosexual couples with those of gay couples in committed relationships. they love one another and go about their daily lives in a way that is valuable to their communities and neighborhoods.
- Argues that gay relationships do nothing to disenfranchise or diminish traditional marriage, as opponents will claim. this is a scare tactic, used by opponents to create fear or the unknown.
- Argues that citing the inherent value of tradition, or preserving an existing institution, is another weak argument. slavery was also a long-standing traditional institution based on years and years of practice.
- Explains that the rights of women have slowly evolved in the united states, often on a state-by-state basis. these changes in racial and gender attitudes came about only after long social justice struggles.
- Explains how the institution of marriage has gone through many legal changes, from traditional marriage to the way it is thought of today.
- Argues that homosexual marriage is for procreation and gay people can't self-promulgate. heterosexual marriage does not mandate a requirement to procreate.
- Opines that promotion of homosexuality would not change anything, since people aren't gay because they're "recruited," but gays were born that way. promoting love, commitment, sharing, and commonality of values and goals would undermine western civilization.
- Explains that religious objections are not valid, as the laws in this country clearly support a separation of church and state. the changes requested are for legal purposes only and in no way interfere with religious teachings or mandates.
- Argues that gay people must deal with the same insecurities as heterosexuals who live together without the benefits of marriage.
- Concludes that the opposition to gay marriage stems from a deep-seated homophobia in american culture, borne almost entirely out of religious prejudice.
- Argues that giving gay people the right to marry is about allowing two people to join in a legally binding contract that supports their love and commitment to one another.
- Analyzes how a blue-ribbon state government commission tells governor corzine and the legislature: it's time to enact marriage equality.
- Summarizes stoddard, fein, and smith's article, "romer v. evans."
1890 wordsRead More - Homophobia has marginalized a significant portion of the population. Although strides towards equality for homosexuals have gained momentum, progress needs to continue. Members of our society are being oppressed by the ignorant simply because of their sexual orientation. When analyzing how to address the discrimination of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, it was apparent equal rights was a complex issue requiring a multifactorial response. It is crucial to identify the groups/individuals contributing to the turmoil, such as religious leaders, politicians, bullies, and even social media. Prejudice and discrimination are realities in our world. Many areas of society still do not recognize its role and responsibility in advancing equality in the community, and how failure to do so, is severely impacting the well-being and everyday life of our lesbian and gay communities.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that homophobia has marginalized a significant portion of the population, and progress needs to continue.
- Explains that gabby is the founder of a lgbt youth center in new bedford, massachusetts. she has established suicide prevention trainings at the center and encourages the youth to seek professional counseling.
- Explains that gabby defines her sexual orientation as queer, a defiance statement against labels in general. she has been discriminated against, oppressed, marginalized, and attacked, both physically and sexually.
- Analyzes how gabby kept her identity a secret from her parents until she was thirty-four years old. she wanted to be liberated from the toxic relationship, and her father told her that she finds love and the gender of that person is insignificant.
- Describes gabby's resiliency and the ability to find supportive networks outside her community to guide her during difficult life events.
- Explains that the national coalition for domestic violence reports that domestic violence occurs in the lgbt community at the same rate as the heterosexual population. the coalition estimates that two out of five gay men experience abuse in same-sex partner relationships.
- Explains that same-sex abuse is similar to heterosexual abuse as tormentors are trying to exert control and avoid feelings of abandonment.
- Outlines their role as a social worker for the department of children and families (dcf) in supporting the gay community.
- Explains that suicide is a result of an individual's internal feelings, but these feelings are the product of external relationships. ungar argues that the lack of social acceptance of lgbt people will lead to cynical views of the future.
- Analyzes how levingston's washington post article summarizes the work of psychiatrist james gilligan, who tracked suicide and homicide rates for over a decade.
- Cites levingston, s., "beware of dangerous politicians" and national coalition against domestic violence.
- Cites rose, s., national violence against women prevention research center, lesbian partner violence fact sheet.
1355 wordsRead More - Gay Marriage and Other Issues Surrounding the LGBT Communityexplanatory essayTo better understand the reason for such prejudice against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community, we must first explore the history that surrounds it. Until the late nineteenth century, there were no labels for homosexuals or heterosexuals—we were all merely people. Around the 1860s, however, the government noticed certain groups had “lost their morals” and stopped focusing on the household, the family, and reproduction, but rather focused on their own pleasure. These people were labeled as deviants, or homosexuals. Homosexual activity and those who engaged in it then became a target for medical, legal, and psychiatric “help.” People gathered in places like Bavaria to fight sodomy, and hundred of thousands of homosexuals were sent to concentration camps to be exterminated. After WWII, thousands of LGBT people were dishonorably discharged from the army and dumped into port cities. Because many of them would not or could not face their families back home, they stayed there. It is said that hundreds of ex-service members were found in San Francisco every day.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that elton john's quote shows the minority opinion when dealing with homosexuality or homosexual marriage.
- Explains the history of prejudice against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (lgbt) community.
- Explains that the mattachine society is the first known homosexual organization in the united states.
- Explains that the american civil liberties union, and the lutheran church publicly opposed anti-homosexuality laws between 1960 and 1970.
- Explains that the fight for gay rights was over, but there was a widespread backlash. in the late 1970s, people who strongly opposed homosexuality began to compete with gay right activists and leaders to win over the hearts of the american people.
- Opines that homophobia is infiltrating so many people, that they cannot handle the thought of two people who love each other, no matter their gender.
- Opines that they do not expect homophobia to vanish or tolerance to peek its head out in a day. there are many stories of courage, triumph, pain, and even hardship.
- Explains that there is no explanation for why people discriminate against those who are different. there are many common stereotypes toward the lgbt community.
- Opines that sexuality should be free, and there are numerous people you can reach out to if you are a part of the lgbt community.
- Opines that tolerance is the most important aspect of everyone's life. everyone strives to fit in at least once in their life, and when we don't it hurts.
- Opines that kindness and understanding are important moral values people should learn to live by.
- Describes the works of robert baird and stuart e. rosenbaum. same-sex marriage: the moral and legal debate.
- Explains that gay marriage rights—where is gay marriage legal? 2009. gay life. kafka, tina.
1559 wordsRead More - Research Proposal: Bans Against Discriminationanalytical essayCauthen Kenneth. "Church and State, Politics and Religion." Religion and Politics, Church and State. 14 May 2014. Web. 8 Jan. 2015
In this essay, the author
- Proposes a solution to prevent discrimination based on religious grounds while also protecting the rights of religious people.
- Suggests putting restrictions on what platforms politicians can run on, such as preventing a politician from running who bases their political platform on religious beliefs and doctrines.
- Opines that restrictions on politicians' political platforms would violate their right to free speech and would not prevent people from voting for politicians for religious reasons.
- Suggests passing a law banning places of worship from preaching material deemed to encourage discrimination.
- Argues that the government cannot control what a place of worship is preaching to their congregations unless it's dangerous to the safety of people. the separation of church and state means that one cannot influence the other.
- Argues that educating religious people about discriminated groups would be effective at halting discrimination as a result of religion. more diversity in television shows, ads, and other public avenues would mean that there is more representation
- Explains that a study has been done that proves that listening to sincere appeals from people on one side of an issue can change people's opinions.
- Argues that television networks would need to diversify their television shows to include and accurately portray people in groups that are often discriminated against.
- Opines that if brought to life, this solution would have a great positive impact on society.
- Opines that rampant discrimination makes people unhappy with the country, resulting in a less productive workforce. the two other solutions, which are plans to pass laws, are costly and don't solve the problem.
- Cites chauthen kenneth's "church and state, politics and religion."
1172 wordsRead More - Gay Marriage Persuasive Essayanalytical essayAs an American citizen, a person should be entitled to marry whoever they choose, regardless of gender or sexual preference. Gay marriage is something that some people consider to be taboo while other people are very supportive of it; I am one of the latter. The ability to marry someone is a basic human right and it should not be taken away from someone because they love a person of the same gender. One of the main reasons that gay marriage is illegal in the United States is because of what the Bible says about it, regardless of the fact that the first Amendment of the US Constitution says that there is to be a separation between church and state. Approximately three point eight percent of the United States population is made up of people
In this essay, the author
- Opines that gay marriage is illegal in the united states because of what the bible says about it, despite the fact that the us constitution says that there is to be a separation between church and state.
- Explains that many teenagers who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trans are often bullied by their peers. the trevor project focuses on bringing awareness to homosexuality in young people.
- Analyzes how the trevor project explains that lgbt youths are four times more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth of the same age.
- Opines that homosexuality is not uncommon in the united states and that same-sex marriage should be accepted and legalized.
- Explains the 2013 national school climate survey: the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth in our nation’s schools.
- Argues that homosexuality isn't a choice because not everyone practices the same religion and beliefs.
- Analyzes stallard, brian, and coghlan, andy. "largest study of gay brothers homes in on gay genes."
1374 wordsRead More - The Issues of Abortion and Gay Marriageanalytical essayThe issue of gay marriage is a rather new controversy that has only become disputed in the last decade. In a changing world gay marriage is now a huge issue that must be dealt with. The gay community believes that the 14th amendment permits gay marriage, but the law heeds to reflect this. Whereas the anti-same-sex marriage advocates are working to amend the constitution to make same sex marriage illegal. Because of the rising numbers in people who believe strongly on either side of this conflict, this has now become a national issue. Before the recent elections gay marriage was a states issue. Now that Bush is elected, he plans to make gay marriage illegal nationwide, and ban all gay unions.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that abortion and gay marriage rights were fought over constantly by liberals and conservatives in the last elections. both parties had different ways of looking at these problems.
- Explains that the issue of gay marriage is a new controversy that has only become disputed in the last decade.
- Explains that abortion has always been a controversial issue between people of different moral and religious beliefs. some religions consider abortion as the same as murder, while others believe it is ok because the fetus is not yet born.
- Explains that bush, a conservative, believes that gay marriage has never been part of america's laws and traditions, therefore it should not be allowed now.
- Analyzes how bush's republican party dealt with abortion with the standpoint that abortion is equivalent to murdering someone, and should be made illegal. bush believes in the conservative traditional values.
- Analyzes how kerry, and the liberals, stood on the issue of gay marriages. kerry believed that same sex marriage was ok, but his party was intent on making them illegal.
- Analyzes how kerry's personal religious beliefs are opposed to abortion, but keeps his beliefs separate from what he believes is best for the country. the liberalist ideas are different from bush’s conservative views.
- Analyzes how different political philosophers would attack different problems, using one liberal philosopher, mill, and one conservative philosopher, burke, to examine the different points of views.
- Explains that john stuart mill was one of the most revered liberalist philosophers of his time. he believed deeply in liberalism's principles and would push for gay marriage to reach the ultimate goal of life, liberty, property, and happiness.
- Analyzes how mill tried to approach the abortion problem with current update political strategies while at the same time not changing the law too much. mill was for libertarian ritual of coming up with new solutions of new problems.
- Opines that order or stability and progress or reform are necessary elements of a healthy state of political life.
- Analyzes edmund burke's analysis of how a true conservative would approach current issues. the issue of gay marriage to burke would be out of the question.
- Opines that by changing the state as often as there are floating fancies or fashions, the chain and continuity of the commonwealth would be broken.
- Argues that burke's ideas on the subject of abortion are pro-life and no other alternative. the social contract applies to everybody, including the unborn.
- Explains that liberals and conservatives have different ideologies towards current issues in america. both philosophies derive from very different backgrounds and ideals.
1509 wordsRead More - Gay Marriage Essayanalytical essayThe world today is surrounded with many controversial issues. One such issue would be the topic of gay marriage. This country has grown around one major tradition, being the definition of marriage. It’s more-less looked at as a religious or legal commitment between a women and man, to express their love and compassion towards one another, being the last and final step there is to take with that significant other. Homosexual relationships are rapidly gaining acceptance in this country. However, the Defensive of Marriage Act, that former president Clinton signed in 1996, is holding many back from being able to marry what could be the significant other of their dreams. Homosexuality effects from 8% to 15% of all males, as well as females being slightly less than the male population. To put this in a more familiar context, there are as many gays and lesbians in America today as there are unemployed citizens. There are a few states which formed a type of commitment called a "civil union", which basically is marriage without using the word "marriage." Gay couples are denied significant rights when they are not allowed to marry, and these result in injustices within society. Most carry the burden of hiding their sexual identity for fear of being disrespected or mistreated by the general population who remain ignorant to the causes and circumstances of homosexuality. This puzzles many due to the excess amount of investigative work that has been done on the phenomenon, as well as puzzling the church as to who would want to look into the concept in such a sinful matter.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the defensive of marriage act, signed in 1996, is holding many back from being able to marry what could be the significant other of their dreams.
- Opines that homosexuality is a choice, and that 'coming out' prevents or buffers against future mental health issues.
- Argues that the likelihood of therapy to overcome homosexuality is outdated, ineffective and harmful as such attempts have never shown to be successful.
- Analyzes how michael bauman's argument for same-sex marriage takes a different approach into the topic. he points out that the lbgs are hypocritical in advocating that value judgment about marriage is wrong.
982 wordsRead More - Gay Marriage Persuasive Essayopinionated essayOpponents of same-sex marriage have about as many reasons to not allow gay marriage as supporters have to allow it. One reason people don't want gays getting married is because in most religions, it is a sin to be attracted to the same gender, and completely unspeakable to marry them. (TFP Student Action; page 1) They think that if we were to allow gays to marry, it would promote the acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle, and society would be forced to accept it. (TFP Student Action; page 1) Children would get confused after seeing two men/women getting married at a church, and may think they can behave this way, even if their religion is against it. (TFP Student Action; page 1) Schools could even begin to teach about the gay culture, due to it being so socially accepted. (TFP Student Action; page 1)
In this essay, the author
- Opines that gay marriage should be legal in every state in america. opponents of same-sex marriage have about as many reasons to not allow gays getting married.
- Explains that other counterclaims state that same-sex marriage is unnatural, and allowing them to marry may lead to other people/animals feeling that they have the right.
- Explains that there are always two sides to every argument, but those who are against same-sex marriage state that studies have shown homosexuals, with some mental therapy, can become a heterosexual.
- Opines that gay marriage should be legalized in the usa because the government is not a theocracy.
- Opines that america is a democracy, meaning citizens can vote on any topic at hand.
- Argues that there is no recorded history that truly states gay marriage is right or wrong, without the opposing side being able to argue their opinion successfully.
- Opines that it is not your fault if you're born with a different sexual orientation, and you should've felt sorry.
- Explains that many people are bisexual, about 1.8% of the world's population.
- Opines that america is a very successful country, but it's having trouble deciding what to do about same-sex marriage. they hope that the new generation will be able to marry who they wish.
950 wordsRead More - Queers in a Quagmireanalytical essayOn the surface, the gay marriage debate is fairly simple. Some people, for various reasons, believe that gays should be allowed to get married. Other people disagree, again for various reasons. The “various reasons” part, along with the element of disagreement is where the conversation gets horrendously messy. The discourse surrounding the rights afforded to gays and lesbians has been around as long as gay people themselves. As a country founded at least partially on Christian
In this essay, the author
- Argues that there is no advancement in critical reasoning that can be made to create a more effective discourse over gay marriage.
- Opines that the debate over gay marriage and gay rights in america is still raging, although that was never truly in doubt.
- Explains that there is no evolution of the argument in the gay rights movement. religious groups and republicans oppose gay marriage, while liberal democrats and the lgbt community support it.
- Analyzes the dichotomous nature of critical reasoning and pathos in anti-gay marriage arguments.
- Explains that the reasons to support gay marriage are just as varied as those to oppose it.
- Argues that the national discourse over gay marriage can still be improved by the introduction of genuine critical reasoning.
- Cites william n. eskridge, jr., equality practice: civil unions and the future of gay rights, 2001, laura langbein, and mark a. yost.
- Cites barnes, robert, "at supreme court, victories for gay marriage." washington post, 26 june 2013.
1528 wordsRead More